New boss Chris Coleman is still getting his feet under the table at Sunderland , but already he will have started making plans for an overhaul of the squad he has inherited.

Coleman’s predecessor Simon Grayson brought in 10 players this summer, six on permanent deals and four on loan, but the Black Cats have struggled badly in their first season back in the Championship and find themselves mired in yet another relegation battle.

Coleman has begun the process of identifying targets for the January transfer window to boost Sunderland’s chances of avoiding the drop - which is the immediate priority - but the club’s financial situation means he is likely to have limited room to manoeuvre.

A much more comprehensive rebuilding job awaits in the summer and that will mean deciding which of the five players who are about to enter the final six months of their current contracts a new deal - and whether any of the four on-loan players are worth bringing back to the Stadium of Light.

Here our Sunderland writer James Hunter takes a look at the players whose deals expire this summer, and what the future could hold in store for them.

JOHN O’SHEA

John O'Shea of Sunderland (Image: Sunderland AFC)

O’Shea will be 37 when his contract expires next summer and he cannot go on forever.

He signed a one-year extension at the beginning of this season and was expected to be used sparingly by Sunderland as experienced cover this season, with the possibility of ending his international career by playing for the Republic of Ireland in the World Cup at the end of the campaign.

But it has not gone to plan, with injuries and poor form of players such as Lamine Kone and Marc Wilson forcing the Black Cats to rely on O’Shea much more heavily than anticipated, while Ireland failed to qualify for the finals.

Chris Coleman will want to rebuild next summer and O’Shea’s age means he will not be part of his future plans in a playing capacity.

The former Manchester United man has completed his coaching badges, however, and his experience and professionalism would make him an asset on as a member of the backroom staff, if Coleman wants to keep him on.

HUNTER’S VERDICT: No deal

MIKA

Mika Domingues makes a save (Image: Sunderland AFC)

Mika was signed from Portuguese side Boavista as a stop-gap measure in the summer of 2016 when Vito Mannone was injured and Sunderland did not have any senior cover for Jordan Pickford, who himself had only a handful of Premier League games under his belt.

But the Swiss-born, Portugal U21 international, has yet to play a first-team game for the Black Cats and looked anything but a safe pair of hands in his two outings for the club’s U23 side last season, or in the Checkatrade Trophy defeat at Doncaster this term.

Robbin Ruiter and Jason Steele are both ahead of him and, if Sunderland add another goalkeeper in January, he will be shunted even further down the pecking order.

HUNTER’S VERDICT: No deal

BILLY JONES

Sunderland's Billy Jones looks dejected (Image: PA)

Jones has been Sunderland’s first-choice right-back since arriving in the summer of 2014 - but injuries have dogged him throughout his time on Wearside.

He has made less than 75 league starts in almost three-and-a-half seasons and Coleman will be looking to rebuild around players who are more robust than that.

Adam Matthews has come in from the cold this season to offer Jones some competition this season, and he has the added advantage of being a known quantity to Coleman after playing under him with Wales.

DARRON GIBSON

Gibson only arrived at Sunderland in January, brought in to beef up the midfield at a time when injuries had reduced the squad to the bare bones.

But the ex-Everton man has disappointed on the pitch, the fans have not taken to him, and he has done nothing to justify a new contract.

He will have a part to play this season but Coleman will be looking for an upgrade next summer.

HUNTER’S VERDICT: No deal

MARC WILSON

Marc Wilson of Sunderland (Image: Sunderland AFC)

Summer arrival from Bournemouth Wilson has been a major disappointment so far.

I remember him as a solid and reliable member of Stoke City’s back four, but he has been accident-prone since moving to the Stadium of Light.

The Republic of Ireland international centre-back has also struggled with injuries which have restricted him to only eight league starts.

There is still time for him to find some form and nail down a place in the side, but based on what we have seen so far, he does not merit a new deal.

HUNTER’S VERDICT: No deal

LOAN PLAYERS

LEWIS GRABBAN

Sunderland's Lewis Grabban (Image: PA)

Grabban has been far and away the pick of the summer intake since his arrival on a season-long loan deal from Bournemouth.

His 11 goals make him not only Sunderland’s top scorer, but only Sheffield United’s 13-goal man Leon Clarke has found the net more times than him in the Championship so far - no mean feat given the Black Cats’ struggles.

The danger for Sunderland is that Bournemouth have the option of recalling him in January, and they could decide to bring him back to the South Coast to boost their firepower - or to sell him, if another club meets their asking price.

Money is tight on Wearside but if there is any way for Sunderland to keep hold of him, either by buying him in January or at the end of the season, they must do so.

HUNTER’S VERDICT: Deal

JONNY WILLIAMS

Jonny Williams of Sunderland (Image: Sunderland AFC)

Another player that Coleman will know all about having worked with him at Wales, Williams has endured a frustrating first half season with Sunderland.

The on-loan Crystal Palace man was not fully-fit when he arrived which meant he was used sparingly, he showed flashes of ability when he did feature, but has been dogged by injuries - including the current shoulder problem that will keep him out until well into the New Year.

On ability alone I would keep hold of him, but Sunderland just cannot afford to sign any more injury-prone players.

HUNTER’S VERDICT: No deal

TY BROWNING

Ty Browning (Image: Liverpool Echo)

Everton centre-back Browning has looked a solid addition, with the mistake that cost Sunderland the game against Nottingham Forest an isolated incident.

He has been more consistent than either Kone or Wilson, and it was the Browning-O’Shea partnership at Burton Albion that delivered Sunderland’s only clean sheet in the league all season.

I would be happy to see Browning prolong his stay on Wearside, possibly on another loan deal.

HUNTER’S VERDICT: Deal

BRENDAN GALLOWAY

Brendan Galloway (Image: Sunderland AFC)

Galloway joined Sunderland from Everton as part of the same deal that brought Browning to the Stadium of Light.

But while Browning has generally impressed, it has been a different story for Galloway.

He started the season at left-back but was regularly caught out, and he lost his place in September as soon as Bryan Oviedo had recovered from the calf injury that saw him miss the start of the campaign.

Galloway was left playing games for the U23s and in the Checkatrade Trophy before finally getting another first-team run out after Oviedo had to go off with a hamstring injury against Reading on Saturday.